By May 2023. Spring in Memphis, and I am 64, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.
Marcus and Angela in Whitehaven, building their family, their house full of the sounds I remember from our own early years — a baby's laugh, a spouse's voice, the daily music of people learning to live together. Naomi growing with the speed of childhood, each visit revealing a new word, a new capability, a new expression that catches my breath because it echoes someone I lost.
I made cornbread in the cast iron skillet — buttermilk, cornmeal, bacon drippings, the recipe that goes back to Mama and before Mama to her mama and before that to wherever the tradition began. Baked at 425 until golden and crusty, the edges dark and lacy, the center soft and crumbling. Some weeks cornbread is enough. Some weeks the simplest food is the most profound.
The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.
The smoker gets the glory, but it’s always the sides that hold a meal together — and on those long spring evenings on the porch with Rosetta, something cool and herb-bright felt like exactly the right companion to the heat still rising off the coals. Dill potato salad is the kind of dish Mama would have had waiting in the icebox, simple enough to let everything else breathe, good enough to stand on its own. I keep coming back to it every April when the yard wakes up, because some recipes, like some traditions, just belong to the season.
Dill Potato Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min + 1 hr chill | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 tsp kosher salt (for boiling), plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup celery (about 2 stalks), thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried dill)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Place cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add 1 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 12—15 minutes, until potatoes are just fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain and spread on a sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
- Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Combine. Add the warm (not hot) potatoes to the bowl along with the celery, red onion, dill, and chopped eggs. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or vinegar as needed.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The dressing will thicken and the flavors will meld as it cools. Overnight is even better.
- Serve. Give it a gentle stir before serving. Garnish with a few extra sprigs of fresh dill if you have them. Serve cold alongside smoked meats, grilled chicken, or cornbread.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 215 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 290mg